Cybersecurity Fundamentals

Study Notes

Data masking is a technique used to hide sensitive information by replacing it with fictional data.
Data encryption at rest is necessary to ensure data security, even if data is encrypted during transmission.
A Denial of Service (DoS) attack attempts to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) enhances security by requiring two forms of verification before granting access.
Ransomware encrypts the victim's data and demands payment for the decryption key.
Encrypting data ensures that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized users.
Data integrity refers to the accuracy and consistency of data over its lifecycle.

A Man-in-the-middle attack involves the attacker intercepting and altering communication between two parties.
Phishing attacks involve tricking users into providing sensitive information through deceptive emails or websites.
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack aims to make a system unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic.
Zero-day vulnerabilities are security flaws that are known to the software vendor but not yet patched.

Keeping your operating system and software up to date reduces your risk of infection.
Strong passwords are at least 8 characters long and include a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
A firewall is used to prevent unauthorized access to a network.
SSL/TLS certificates are used to establish a secure, encrypted connection between a web server and a client.
Using secure coding practices helps prevent vulnerabilities in software that could be exploited to access data.

Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) detect and alert on suspicious network activity.
A firewall can prevent attacks by blocking malicious traffic, but it is not a guarantee against all types of malware.
Access control mechanisms are used to restrict access to data based on user roles.

Data classification involves categorizing data based on its sensitivity and importance to the organization.
Data retention policies define how long data should be kept and when it should be deleted.
Regular data backups are a crucial part of data management and IT security.

Physical security is concerned with protecting facilities from environmental hazards like fire or flooding, as well as securing hardware from theft.
Having strong physical security measures in place can mitigate the risks posed by insider threats.

Spyware is a type of malware designed to gather information about a person or organization without their knowledge.
Symmetric encryption is a method to ensure that even if the database is compromised, the information remains secure.
Auditing and monitoring data access logs are necessary to ensure data security, even if access controls are in place.

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